Starter Problem

[Unregistered]

My Prestolite starter (Part #MBG 4129) on our 1967 Atomic Four started making a terrible noise a few weeks ago, when we were under way. I pulled the starter, and found that the cotter pin in the castled nut on the Bendix was corroded, and bits of it were in the gears. I cleaned it up, (after using a magnet to recover the nut I dropped in the bilge!) put in a new cotter pin and she started right up. Occassionally the starter seemed to "hang up" briefly and make the same noise again, but then quiet down within a few seconds after starting.
Yesterday this noise seemed to get more persistant, so I took off the flywheel cover and am trying to figfure out what to do next. The Bendix gear is engaged with the engine off....is that normal? Could lubrication solve the problem? A new spring? Any advice greatly appreciated.

[Don Moyer]

The teeth on the starter gear on your Prestolite starter are slanted so as to "fling" the gear back into the starter and away from the flywheel as the engine starts and the RPM of the flywheel exceeds that of the starter motor. Now and then, as you would be "bumping" your starter on and off with the engine not starting, the gear might remain engaged in the teeth of the flywheel.

If the gear hangs up in the flywheel after the engine starts, it's usually an indication that the spiraled shaft of the Bendix unit is dry, or dirty, or both.

I would remove the starter again, and wash the drive unit with carburetor cleaner, and then soak it with a light oil (like Marvel Mystery Oil). If the gear is free on the spiraled shaft and still won't come out of engagement with the flywheel, you may have excessively worn teeth on the flywheel or starter gear, or perhaps a slightly bent shaft (more likely).

Best regards,

Don Moyer